Bahrain to hire former Argentina coach Baptista

Bahrain are set to appoint Sergio Batista as their new head coach for the next two years after successful negotiations, Al Bawaba reported on Friday.

The 52-year-old tactician was reportedly the Al-Ahmar’s first choice to replace current coach Marjan Eid following the country’s disappointing Asian Cup performance last January.

The Argentinian most recently managed Shanghai Shenhua in the 2014 Chinese Super League, but did not renew following the conclusion of his contract.

Batista, who led Argentina to Olympic gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing, is expected to take charge immediately ahead of joint qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup. Bahrain, who have yet to qualify for a World Cup tournament, are grouped with Uzbekistan, Philippines, North Korea, and Yemen in what has been dubbed the “Group of Death” by some observers.